Five of the best as Fulham take a home point against Cardiff.

Sone Aluko holds the key

The Nigeria international was once again integral to everything Fulham did well.

His footwork is too much for Championship defenders, he’s incredibly quick and his skill regularly gets the crowd on their feet.

As well as flair, he has end product, after assisting both Fulham goals with pulled back passes after driving into a dangerous position with the ball at his feet.

If he adds to his goal tally and develops a partnership with Cauley Woodrow, he’ll be an excellent piece of business conducted by the club having signed on a free from Hull City in the summer.

Full back is the outlet

The club’s activity in the transfer market has also been very shrewd in the full-back positions. Denis Odoi arrived from Lokeren and is a substantial improvement on Jazz Richards.

The Belgian is a modern day full back who loves to bomb forward and he is an excellent outlet down the right hand side, allowing Tom Cairney to cut inside and influence the play from a more central position.

Scott Malone joined Fulham in the summer from today’s opponents Cardiff and has always looked very assured on the ball.

It is obvious he has played further forwards as a left midfielder as he looks to join the attack at every opportunity.

If Kevin McDonald can continue to dictate play from a deep-lying midfield role, he should look for the full-backs as often as possible.

Wonder kid: Ryan Sessegnon's goal gets the treatment

Ryan Sessegnon has a huge future in the game

It might be stating the obvious but Sessegnon’s second appearance for the Cottagers confirmed much of what we already knew; he is going to be a fantastic player one day.

He scored with his very first touch and looks just as comfortable at left midfield as he does at left back.

If Fulham can fend off interest from the Premier League big boys until September 1, Sessegnon will be a great asset for the Championship club this season.

Floyd Ayite lay-off could scupper cutting edge

Ayite was withdrawn in the first half with what looked like a pulled hamstring.

The winger enjoyed a lively opening half an hour, terrorising Lee Peltier with his pace and agility.

Ayite and Aluko are the key to Fulham breaking the opposition down and an injury lay-off could potentially blunt the attack over the coming weeks with the chosen replacement unlikely to possess the same level of speed and trickery.

Every cloud has a silver lining however, as it could mean a run of starts for youngster Sessegnon.

Challenge: Floyd Ayite has Dwight Gayle breathing down his neck

Cottagers must stop shots from distance

Cardiff went 2-1 up thanks to spectacular goals from Joe Ralls and Anthony Pilkington.

Both efforts were fired in from around 20 yards and caught keeper David Button off guard because the central defenders were slow to close down.

Peter Whittingham almost put Cardiff 3-1 ahead with a free-kick which would have sealed the game but the ball somehow stayed out after smashing the underside of the crossbar.

Fulham must do better when closing down opponents from threatening areas just outside the box or they will continue to drop points by conceding goals from distance.

poll loading

Will Fulham make the play-offs?

500+ VOTES SO FAR